Upward Bound Summer Program in Full Swing

SUNY Plattsburgh is playing host to Some 160 high school students from 15 North Country districts this summer as part of Upward Bound’s annual summer program, now through Aug. 7.

A part of TRIO, the federal bundle of programs that includes Student Support Services and Educational Opportunity Program, Upward Bound comprises a year-round educational opportunity component for students who have the potential to continue their education beyond high school. It offers academic enrichment, counseling and leadership opportunities through high school graduation for students from low-income households. Often, their parents have not attended or graduated from four-year colleges.

Students attend year round, receiving academic enrichment, counseling and leadership opportunities through graduation. Upward Bound counselors go into the schools in the three counties and work with these students through their high school years. Counselors meet with students to make sure they’re on track academically and help them progress through the college application process.

The goal of the six-week summer program is to give students a college-like experience during high school where they take classes on campus, eat in the dining hall and for two weeks live in the residence hall, said program director, Brian Post. Students’ first experience typically takes place the summer following completion of 9^th grade, continuing through high school graduation.

Olympic Themed

“This summer, we’re hopping on the Olympic bandwagon, making that our theme,” Post said. Students will participate in Olympic-inspired events and activities throughout their time on campus. In addition, “we are collaborating with the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion again this summer for an engaging workshop July 31.”

Students will once again collaborate with the Center for Earth and Environmental Science and the Watershed Alliance, with which they have a collaborative grant, “to educate our students about the Lake Champlain watershed and introduce them to careers in the natural sciences,” Post said. “We also partner with the Lake Champlain Basin Program/ECHO Center to offer our students outings throughout the year to discover the Lake Champlain watershed and to also learn about possible careers.

“STEM education often focuses on engineering, the computer sciences, and health careers,” he said. “The natural sciences are sometimes overlooked, so we are using our beautiful region to hopefully remedy that.”

More than 40 Class Offerings

Post said they’ll “once again have more than 40 great class offerings for our students to attend, taught by our 14 returning faculty.” Upward Bound hires teachers from local school districts, many of whom have been serving the program for more than 20 years.

Core classes include government and history, English and languages, geometry, algebra and calculus, chemistry and physics, among others. A series of electives include artificial intelligence studies, art, debate, genealogy, introduction to emergency medicine, forensics, laser and 3D printing, robotics, public speaking and science fiction, among many other offerings.

Rising Sophomores through Seniors

Students are a mix of what they term “rising sophomores” — those students entering 10^th grade — through rising seniors — those who finished junior year in high school, about to enter senior year. Post said that “24 of those seniors have been placed in career internships throughout the community.” He said the internships offer real workplace experience as well as a program stipend. Placements in past years have been with the Clinton County district attorney’s office, Schluter Systems, UFirst Credit Union, Plattsburgh City Court, Assemblyman Billy Jones’ office, the YMCA, the Strand Center for the Arts, and SUNY Plattsburgh, among others.

“We also have 12 college mentors — current college students — and an activities coordinator working with us to assist with classes and other activities throughout the day,” he said. “They will also be in residence with the students once they move in for the final two weeks. In addition, we also have our annual talent show and banquet during the final week of the program to bring it all home.”

As in other years, the Upward Bound staff organized a thrift store for the semi-formal banquet and for other clothing needs as well as the annual leadership trip that kicked off this year’s summer program.

New York City Trip

“We went to New York City for our annual leadership trip, which kicks off the summer program.,” Post said. “We visited colleges — Rutgers, Brooklyn College and New Jersey Institute of Technology — did a Statue of Liberty cruise, visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art, went to three Broadway shows — we divided into three groups with one group seeing ‘Hamilton,’ one seeing ‘Wicked,’ and the third seeing ‘MJ the Musical’ —went to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, and did a double-decker bus tour — ؅action-packed with great weather.”

For information on Upward Bound, contact Post at 518-564-2030 or [email protected].

— By Associate Director of Communications Gerianne Downs/Photos Provided